Dakee



TED STATES PATE Y Erica.

BENJAMIN H. SHEDAKER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO EDVIN BENDER, OF SAME PLAGE.

CONSTRUCTION OF MARQUETRY-FLOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent N0. 19,174, dated January 19; 1858.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it knownl that I, BENJAMIN H. SHE- DAKER, of the city of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Construction of Marquetry-Floors for Buildings, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specilication, 1n which- Figure 1, is a p'lan view of the flooring as combined together and nailed down; Figs. 2, and 3, like views of two (a wider and a narrower) of the boards shown in Fig. l, previously to their being combined together as a floor; Fig. 4, a view of the grooved edge of one of these boards; and Fig. 5, an end view of the floor shown in Fig. l, like letters in the different figures indicating the same parts.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing marquetry floors by first inlaying, or inserting the required differently colored pieces of wood, or other material,

across in the upper sides of the flooring boards proper, (whether these are of like 0r different colors), so that the said boards may afterward be laid down and nailed directly to the joist in the usual manner, and so produce a marquetry floor of any surface pattern or design which may be adapted to such mode of construction, without t-he use of the sub-floor required by other modes.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to de-Y scribe its construction, more ful'ly and accurately.

For the light-colored parts of a floor of this kind, I generally use ash-wood boards, or planks of 1% inches in thickness; and for the dark parts, walnut wood, where a light and a dark color only are required to produce the design. The said boards, or planks, after being brought to the required wldth to suit the design, are tongued and grooved precisely as heretofore for floors. Then, by means of machinery adapted to the purpose, I cut dovetailed or other grooves, about half an inch deep, across in the upper side of each, at regular distances apart, and then till these grooves by driving into each a strip of wood, or other material', of the 0pposite color, which has been previously prepared to fit the groove accurately and tightly. The ends of these inserted pieces being made flush with the edges of the boards, they are ready for laying. This is done in the manner usually practised in laying floor boards by concealed nailing, with the additional care only of so laying them as to produce the design of marquetry required.

The drawings represent a design combining the rhomb and rhomboid-A-A, being the light-colored, or ash-wood boards; B-B, the dark, or walnut-wood boards; C-C, the walnut-wood strips dovetailed into and across the upper sides of the ash-boards; D-D, the ash-wood strips dovetailed into and across the upper sides of the walnutwood boards. boards are tongued and grooved together successively so as to produce the design seen 1n l, but it is obvious that a variety of designs can be produced by this mode of in- Ilaying strips of wood in a flooring board of a different color.

The superiority of this mode of producing marquetry ioors arises principally from the fact that the flooring boards proper (A- A and B-B) are retained of their full length, and therefore produce a stiffer and more substantial Hoor for buildings, cars, ships-cabins, &c., than if cut up into short pieces or blocks, as heretofore, for produclng marquetry.

Another point of superiority arises from the fact that this marquetry flooring does not require a sub-floor for its support, and may therefore be laid directly upon the usual Joist. It is consequently cheaper, as being more durable, and requiring less work in putting down, or laying; it affords a fair profit to the manufacturer, at three and a half dollars per square yard of one and a half inches thick, laid, and finished by oiling, waxing, or varnishing, as may be.` preferred.

I am aware that marquetry floors have been produced by uniting thin blocks of differently colored woods together by tongues and grooves, and nailing them down upon a common ioor; but such mode of construction is difficult, expensive, and very liable to give way in using; whereas, in my invention the marquetry is inlaid so as constitute a part of the flooring boards before they are laid, and so that when laid, they rest directly upon the joists;

These inlaid ash and walnutv the sub floor, heretofore required for all other marquetry floors, being entirely dispensed with: thus saving greatly in the original cost, and at the same time producing a better, because a more Solid and durable floor.

I therefore do not claim the application of inarquetry to floors; nor the securing of one piece of Wood in and across the one side of another by means of a dovetail, half doWel, or otherwise; but

That I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

Constructing Inarquetry floors substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth and described: viz, I claim constructing marquetry floors by first inlaying, or inserting the required differently colored pieces of Wood, or other material, across in the upper sides of the proper flooring 2O prepared, as set forth, may afterward be 25 laid down and secured directly upon the joists in the usual manner and so produce a marquetry floor, of any surface pattern or design which may be adapted to such Inode of construction, Without the use of the sub- 30 floor required by other modes.

B. II. SHEDAKER.

Witnesses:

BENJ. MORRISON, JNO. B. KENNEY. 

